WithCall of Duty: Vanguardset to release on Friday, November 5, fans of the franchise will have plenty of content to enjoy. A brand-new campaign will showcase the birth of special forces, while multiplayer will bring an impressive 16 maps at launch. There will be a newCall of Dutymastery camoto grind for as well as some unlockable Operator skins, and original game modes like Patrol and Champion Hill should help set the game apart from what has come before.
However,Call of Duty: VanguardZombies is going to be quite the experiment. While Treyarch serving as guest-developer for the mode is promising, it will be very different from what fans have come to expect. As such, it is unclear if it will find success, though it will certainly be interesting to see how the community responds to Der Anfang. With a fresh look at the Dark Aether story, a new gameplay loop, and surprising post-launch plans, here is what players need to know about the mode before release.
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Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies’ Story
Call of Duty: VanguardZombies will be continuing the Dark Aether storyline, though with the mode set during World War 2, it will be a prequel. As such, players should not expect to seecharacters like Eddie or Samin this narrative, though the tease that an “unexpected ally” will arrive after Season 1 could see someone else that players already know making a return. Regardless, players can expect a narrative that is directly inspired by the Nazi party’s real-world obsession with occultism.
The main villain will be Oberfuhrer Wolfram Von List, who has come into possession of a special artifact that lets him bond with a Dark Aether entity known asKortifex the Deathless. Kortifex gives Von List the power to raise and control the dead, something that will give the Nazis a chance to get revenge after losing the battle of Stalingrad. In the game’s intro cinematic, Von List can be seen using the mass graves in the Russian country to his advantage, quickly building a sizable army of the undead.
Players will be guided by a character named Professor Gabriel Kraft, who was a demonologist that Von List forced to find the Kortifex artifact. He also found four others, and after seeing Von List’s plan, he sent out a distress call that saw theVanguard Operatorscoming to Stalingrad. Kraft will guide players through Der Anfang, the first Zombies experience, and he will give them the other four artifacts to use against Von List. While these serve as the game’s field upgrades, they also let players bond with one of four Dark Aether entities. Each will talk during the match, providing dark humor and bits of lore that should make for some fun conversations.
What Makes Der Anfang So Different
While the Dark Aether entities should help solveCall of Duty: VanguardZombies’ Operator problem, they are not the only new addition to the game. In fact, Der Anfang will play differently from the Survival maps seen in past games. This is because, much like Outbreak, the mode will see players completing objectives instead of surviving rounds. Stalingrad will serve as the hub area where players can Pack-A-Punch, with the location expanding further every time an objective is completed.
Objectives in Der Anfang will take place in separate locations. The launch maps will be Hotel Royal from multiplayer, the Merville farms from the campaign, and theiconic Zombies map Shi No NumafromCall of Duty: World at War. In these Objectives, dubbed Blitz, Transmit, and Harvest, players will need to kill the undead, escort a floating head, and deliver runes to obelisks. They will also face a new armored mini boss that wields a minigun, which could prove tough to take down. Objective completion will reward players with Sacrificial Hearts, which can be used at the new Altar of Covenants.
TheAltar of Covenantsis a roguelike feature that brings 32 randomized upgrades toCall of Duty: VanguardZombies. These buffs range from old ammo mods like Brain Rot to entirely new abilities, and players have a chance to make them more useful by finding higher rarity versions inside the Altar. Covenants should ensure that each match feels different, and the feature could make or break Der Anfang when it comes to replayability. As for perks, they boast new names but have the classic stat boosts of Jugger-Nog, Quick Revive, Speed Cola, Deadshot Daiquiri, and Stamin-Up. Players will be able to purchase the first tier of each perk for free, with Tiers 2-4 requiring points to be spent. UnlikeCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, these upgrades are not permanent and must be bought every game.
Other changes will see the green weapon rarity removed to streamline the upgrade system, with wall buys also becoming a thing of the past. Certain Zombies staples will remain, such as the Mystery Box, crafting tables, exfils, and thePack-A-Punch machine, but Treyarch is clearly trying to do something new with Der Anfang. While longtime Zombies fans that prefer a round-based approach may be disappointed, this fast-paced experience could satisfy a lot of casual players.
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Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies’ Future Plans
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the new experience is tied toDer Anfang’s easter egg. Unlike past maps, the main quest will not be available until after Season 1, which could prove frustrating for fans of easter egg hunting. Treyarch has said that this decision was made to give players time to learn the mode’s new mechanics, as the developer is even more focused than it was inCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warwhen it comes to making Zombies’ main quests more accessible. With Treyarch wanting everyone to see where the story goes, this approach makes sense.
While Treyarch has assuredround-based Zombies fansthat they have not been forgotten, it is unclear when or if an old school map will come. As for what post-launch content is coming, players can expect additional Covenants to be added alongside more artifacts and Dark Aether entities. Season 1 will bring some of these Covenants, as well as a new Der Anfang objective, holiday-themed updates, and Seasonal challenges. Overall, the first Season does seem light on major content drops for Zombies, with players needing to wait until Season 2 for Der Anfang’s easter egg. As such, players may not be seeing many maps this time around, with Treyarch seeming more interested in expanding upon content instead of jumping straight to the next map. With plans to improve upon Der Anfang like it did with Outbreak mode, Treyarch’s new approach is certainly a bold one.
Call of Duty: Vanguardlaunches November 5 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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